Science and religion in intercultural perspective

Many research projects on the science-and-religion interface do not give proper attention for the context in which they take place. This often means that the way that post-Enlightenment western perspectives have shaped the dominant ways of asking and addressing science and religion question remain unnoticed. Yet, as it has been pointed out, even the concepts of ‘science’ and ‘religion’ itself that shape the debate are relatively recent Western constructs.

In the Centre for Theology and Christianity Worldwide, we explore how science and religion and their relationship are understood in different cultural and social contexts, such as in French-speaking Africa or India. In doing so, we do not limit ourselves to anthropological studies on science and religion. We explore how understandings from different cultural contexts challenge, enrich and correct dominant western perspectives. In this way we hope to contribute to an intercultural theology of science and religion that can both enrich the West and do justice to alternative approaches and contexts.